i don't believe your post was the one that prompetd the reponse from EJH...

EJH - I'm still with you. I think being there must give you the same feeling that I get when I see a rather spectacular display of autumn leaves, or when I was a kid playing among the sheets on the clothesline. I think art that evokes such simple (dare I say primal?), and somehow deep emotions is just as much "art" as the Mona Lisa. I do think it must be one of those "you have to be there" kind of things, though. I can imagine just the grandness of it all being rather breathtaking.

And I'm ok with the cost. These people have the cash, and are driven to create art. That's just who they are. If they were driven to do other things, then that's what they'd be doing.

And again - wonderful pictures!!

good point goofy...

i too feel that if i had been there, it could or would have been more beautiful.
as far as the price it cost to put it together......i just think that it takes away from the art...

i feel that the end result of every peice of art is derived from the human mind....which is free.

Yes, that's correct.

Very well said! I know I wouldn't have the same appreciation if I didn't see it for myself, but I did my best to try to capture some of the feeling with my photos. I'm glad they're appreciated

Right on

Airteng,
You make a valid point that money could be put to better use, but the same could be said about the Sistine Chapel, or the stupid print hanging on my wall for that matter. I'm not comparing The Gates to the Sistine Chapel, just trying to say that art is not practical. While I think EJH's photos are wonderful, I can imagine that they cannot possibly capture the scale of this project. Throwing out the knowledge of the cost and any preconceived ideas, It still seems to me that it would only be truly fair to judge The Gates by experiencing them in person. Something like this is not about what they are but the space they create and exist in. The experience will be different for everyone whether it is 5yr old kid, a 20yr old college student, an elderly couple, or whomever. However, it does make my stomach churn when I think about the cost.
Thanks for the pics EJH!

I was on topic. I was still talking about The gates

You have to admit tho, its a grossly friviolous misuse of money, and it could have been used to benefit ppl who needed it, i mean if you have that kinda money to just throw away,,, why not help ppl who have lost everything?
it just seems like such a waste to me is all

airteng...just wing it!!!!!!!!!
i MUST SAY, hAX'S COMMENT SEEMED TO ONLY BE THERE TO GET
A RISE OUT OF SOME ONE.
iT WAS A BIT INSULTING.............HMMMMMMMM
ha! tHAT MAKES IT ART!!!!
NICE!!!


oops...capslock again

people, they are just frames with cloth hanging from them--
they arent gates, they're just frames with
cloth hanging from them--
they aren't even contructed well-- i mean the corners are even bolted---
Does this stuff really turn you on so much
that it's worth this much discourse?
oddly, the artist site explains the deep meaning
of these gates--which I think was just
the opinion of their sites webmaster since
they both got on "good morning America" and said
" the gates don't have a meaning, we never meant them to have any meaning at all.
if people want to ascribe a meaning to them, that is good.
people can take away whatever they feel from them .
that's what art is"

.




Love it or hate it, I think many people (myself included) have a difficult time accepting
$20 million being spent on a 16 day art installation.

Why couldn't they have used that money to help those in need?

There's actually a valid reason: without The Gates, there is no 20 million dollars.

The artists raised the money for the installation by selling illustrations of their plans.

Small collages of The Gates (8.5x11inches) went for $30,000 and wall-sized drawings (5x8feet) went for $600,000.

In a way, these paintings were like a promise ring for the art collectors; "You buy our illustrations of The Gates. We'll build The Gates with this money. The illustrations, in turn, will appreciate in value".

Could they have sold illustrations of a beautiful homeless shelter and then used that money to build said shelter? No. There's nothing controversial about a homeless shelter and that's hardly a conversation piece for some rich cat's wall.

Such is life.

I hope that made sense. I'm tired and the brain's even slower than usual.

On a related side note...

EJH, I know you could have donated the money to tsunami relief but I say "f#ck 'em" -
that nail polish was worth it.
Sometimes a girl's just gotta rock a set of saffron nails around Central Park and that's all there is to it.

I propose a regular thread for you titled "Is it Art?"
Take your camera out and go nuts.
Many of us enjoyed this.

Bravo Badcop! Excellent post! You have put my mind to rest on the whole $20 million dollar issue. Thank you!

Now I'd like to know more about the crack-pots who paid $30k for post-cards and 600k for posters of ... of... well... imaginary stuff and a promise to make the imaginary stuff reality and then the further promise of a (I'm assuming a Crystal Ball was consulted for this one) strong ROI on the 30-600k investment. Staggers the very foundation of reality.

On the other hand... If these two artists can raise THAT kind of money with those kinds of pie-in-the-sky ideas... well that pretty much opens te field for being able to raise money for just about anything! Even the really silly stuff.... schoolbooks, food for soup kitchens, and blankets for shelters.

So...Once again my world is right! Power on!


EJH, thank you for the thought provoking thread and the images you shared with us all. Your images are, BTW, very well composed, lit and balanced IMO.



Emoticons are new to me... so cute!

Hmm... that's something to think about. Now if someone would only get busy and paint the Empire State Building fuchsia, I'll be all over it...

Here's another topic: The Donald's hairpiece... is it art? Or just an animal that crawled onto his head and died? Discuss.

That reminds me... how much did that virgin mary grilled cheese go for on eBay?

Again, thanks all for the kind appreciation of my pics...

overall i do like this exhibit.

i want to thank EJH for taking the pictures. i really like the way the shadows and light come through the orange cloth.......there is a lot there to enjoy. i bet it looks different all thoughout the day.

it would be nice to see more art from ppl's hometowns

how pathetic ppl spent money for to create this and how pathetic they hold the power to raise that much money and do it for self indulgent purposes......
if they could only use the power they hold in their hands for good and selfless acts.......
the gates are by no means a selfless act..... its for fame, glory, praise and money....

and utterly useless IMO

the more i think about it the more disgusting i am wiutht he whole thing

TILT...I feel my world shifting again! EJH what grilled-cheese sandwich????

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6511148/